Contact - Quakers Hill High School

ISSUE
4
18 March 2016
Quakers Hill
High School’s
Fortnightly
Newsletter
Contact
HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE
UPCOMING EVENTS
Yr 7 Parent/Teacher interviews Page 2/5
Grade Sport results Page 9
Monday 21 March
School Photo Day
Debating Workshop
Musical Theatre Group
Rock Band Rehearsal
Tuesday 22 March
QCCP Day No. 1
Girls Open Knockout B.ball
Wednesday 23 March
Rock Band Rehearsal
Thursday 24 March
Harmony Day
Friday 25 March
Good Friday
Monday 28 March
Easter Monday
Tuesday 29 March
Barista Excursion
Year 7 Parent Teacher Evening
3.30-6.30pm
Wednesday 30 March
Buckley Shield Gala Day
Snr Dance Off Camp (till 1/4)
Rock Band Rehearsal
Thursday 31 March
Reconciliation Day
Yr 9 Fast Forward Presentation @ UWS 6-8pm
Friday 1 April
Cross Country Carnival
Contact Issued
Science Matters Page 15
Library News Page 17-19
Subject Selection Process Page 20
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
P&C EXECUTIVE 2016
Congratulations and a big thank
you to the following parents who
have accepted key positions on the
Quakers Hill HS P&C Committee
for 2016:
President: Diana Towell
Secretary: Lisa Hemsworth
Treasurer: Linda Robertson
Vice Presidents: Korinne Bargiel
and Lyn McRae
COLLEGIATE
THEATRESPORTS GALA
EVENING
A big congratulations to all our students who participated in the inaugural Nirimba Collegiate Theatresports Gala Evening. Quakers
Hill HS teams dominated the competition grabbing first and second
place. A big thank you to Mr Dacey,
Ms Earl and Mr Andrews for all
their efforts in getting this competi-
tion up and running and it is
hoped that it will be an annual
event on the Collegiate calendar in the future.
Well done: Holly Bramble,
Dominique Burke and Lauryn
Fewtrell who won the competition. Congratulations also to:
Laura Towell, Ashleigh Kennedy, Lily Kennedy and Maddelyn
Harris who came second.
UNIFORM
Recently we have been doing a
close and regular check of students’ uniform. We are trying to
address a trend of students
wearing their sports uniform on
non sport days and remaining in
their sports uniform after their
PE periods have finished. I
would like to remind all parents
and students that if you have
period 1 PASS or PE prac, students are still expected to come
to school in their regular school
uniform and change into their
sports uniform. Only students
QHHS Contact
who have PE or PASS period 6 should be in
their PE uniform at the end of the day.
The other area of school uniform I need to
address is sport shorts that are not part of
our school uniform. Our school uniform has
both a sports shirt and shorts and all students are expected to wear these shirts and
shorts for Wednesday sport day and PE
pracs. There are a number of Year 9 and 10
girls wearing the incorrect shorts to school
and they are being given detentions as a
consequence. Students representing the
school in grade sport will be provided with a
team shirt to compete in and these shirts are
taken back at the end of sport and washed in
readiness for the following week.
YEAR 7 CAMP
Last Wednesday afternoon a very tired but
happy group of Year 7 students and Year 9
& 10 Peer Leaders returned from camp.
There will be more information and pictures
available in this edition of CONTACT, but
suffice to say everyone had a fantastic time.
A big thank you to Mrs Maricic, Ms Nicholls
and Ms Schryver who organised the event
and thank you also to the teachers who attended the camp. Hopefully it will not take
too much time for them to catch up on lost
sleep!
YEAR 7 PARENT TEACHER
INTERVIEWS
Year 7 parents are invited to go online and
book interviews to speak with their children’s
teacher about how they have settled into
high school and their academic progress to
date.
https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code
Event code:
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S
REPORT
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
AGAINST BULLYING AND
VIOLENCE
Friday 18 March is the sixth National
Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. The National Day of Action is
Australia’s foremost anti-bullying focus
day and its aim is to encourage all
members of all school communities to
‘take a stand together’ against bullying
and violence both within school communities and outside in the wider community.
At Quakers Hill High School we have
used the National Day of Action as a
key community initiative for our 2016
Year 10 students. Over the past few
years they have run the assemblies,
encouraged students to sign antibullying declarations and made videos
to support the Stop, Help, Tell method
that we use at QHHS. This year our
Year 10 students helped to organise
the Take a Stand Disco which combined a range of fun anti-bullying activities with dancing and having a good
time.
Thank you to Year 10 and the majority
of QHHS students for so effectively delivering the message that bullying and
violence is never okay.
STUDENT REVIEWS
78mwa
Mrs Maricic, myself and all of the Year
Advisers will soon be working hard on
the Term 1 student reviews. The student reviews are an opportunity for
teachers to refer students who have
demonstrated positive behaviours in
Have a great week.
Lauretta Claus
Principal
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areas such as motivation and consistently
striving to improve as well as students
who are working hard and demonstrating
the SMART Code of Conduct. Students
who have been referred by one subject
will receive a Merit Award, three or more
will receive a Bronze Award and a Letter
of Commendation and those with more
than 4 positive referrals will also be invited
to a Morning Tea early in Term 2.
ASSESSMENT TASKS
One of the most stressful elements of high
school, particularly for Year 7 students is
homework and assessment tasks and balancing school expectations with activities
outside of school. Many students will have
multiple tasks due now, and for the next
few weeks, and it can be difficult for students to prioritise and submit all required
work.
To help with meeting their assessment
requirements, all Year 7 students had at
least two dedicated lessons on successfully completing assessment tasks. If students are struggling to complete work due
to failing to understand what is required, it
is important that they start tasks as soon
as they receive them so as to leave time
to seek help and support from their teacher should they need it.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES
One of our ongoing school plan priorities
is to have at least 85% of our students involved in an extra-curricular activity and to
achieve this we need to encourage students to seize as many opportunities as
they can. Some of the leadership opportunities that have already been undertaken
by students include: Peer Support with
some students even attending the Year 7
camp to support their groups, SRC and
Year 5/6 Information Evening helpers.
Primary Prosperitas has also seen an outstanding turnout of QHHS students as
mentors, primary school students and their
parents. In Week 9 alone students are
competing in girls and boys knockout basketball, Rock Band rehearsals, Musical
Theatre Group, Debating workshops and
Harmony Day performances and presentations. Further opportunities in the upcoming weeks include opportunities to attend
excursions and get involved in a range of
different competitions including ICAS and a
Disco Photography Competition.
There are lots of opportunities for everyone
so get involved!
YEAR 7 CAMP 2016
It was a massive turnout this year with 225
students and staff at the Great Aussie Bush
Camp. The students challenged themselves at every activity and even when they
felt that it was just not for them, they helped
and encouraged their peers. While some
were very homesick, I’d like to congratulate
those that got in and had a go and made it
through the 3 day camp with smiles and
joy. Special thanks to the Year 7 Year Advisers Amy Nicholls and Danielle Schryver
who did an outstanding job in organising
the camp. The staff: Jason Kantek, Michelle
Hill, Brendan Hutton, Ellise Barratt, Oliver
Meredith, Lauren Paa, Daniel Fabricato,
Margie Beange and Elaine Cranfield were
outstanding as they lead their groups each
day with their Peer Support leaders.
The Peer Support Leaders who attended
camp were:
Dominique Burke, Adam Coleiro, Abey
Couzins, Jacinta Edwards, Emily Elder,
Tamika Ezzy, Lauryn Fewtrell, Vanessa
Gowans, Alanis Hawron, Stephanie Kegg,
Ashleigh Kennedy, Thomas Luckman,
Teliha Mahood, Zoe McDacy, Ben
McDonell, Luke O’Keeffe, Harry Poulos,
Olivia Simpson, Alister Tupper, David
Woodward, Kayla Wrigley. On behalf of
Year 7 and the staff who attended we
would like to thank you for giving up your
time from school to assist at camp.
Rebecca Mahon & Beaty Maricic
Deputy Principals
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SUPPORT UNIT INFORMATION
IEP MEETINGS
Just a reminder to parents, our Support Unit IEP meetings are on Wednesday 23 rd March and
Wednesday 30th March. Please feel free to email me if you do not recall your booking time.
SCHOOL PHOTOS
School Photos will be on Monday 21st March. Can parents please make sure students are in full
school uniform. Photo envelopes were dispersed this week. Please notify homeroom teachers if
you still require photo information.
SUPPORT SWIM SCHOOL
The Support Unit Swim School will be held in Term 3 at Blacktown Leisure Centre, Stanhope
Gardens. This program will run every Wednesday for 8 weeks from 27th July till 14th September
(inclusive). Permission notes will be handed out within the next couple of weeks.
EASTER LONG WEEKEND
Just a reminder, school will not be open over the Easter long weekend (Friday 25 th March and
Monday 28th March).
Mrs Jennifer Payne
Support Unit Head Teacher
AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM EXCURSION
On 26 February, Year 7 went on an excursion to the Australian museum in Sydney. To start the
day off, we had an introduction in the Museum theatre where we talked about the Aboriginal people and what we already knew about them. As we filled out our workbooks, we explored the Museum. We saw the Aboriginal exhibition, the dinosaurs and many more. We finished the day by
eating lunch in a park not so far from the Museum. Overall, Year 7 enjoyed the excursion to the
Australian Museum. A big thank you to Mrs Critchley for organising the day.
Josh Andrijich
PARENT/TEACHER EVENING
Semester 1 Parent/Teacher Evening will be held on Tuesday 29 March between 3.30pm and
6.30pm for all Year 7. I encourage all parents to book online so they can record their preferred
times and start making appointments immediately. The link is: www.schoolinterviews.com.au/
code. The code is 78mwa. The longer these bookings are left, the more difficult it will be to record appointments within your preferred times. If you are unable to book your teacher online, alternative booking sheets will be provided in the office and these can be booked with the teacher
via the students. Appointments will be restricted to 7 minutes in order to accommodate all parents unless the teacher requires an extended interview and it is recommended that you allow 7
minutes between each interview to give you time to move between teachers. Students are also
invited to help their parents find their teachers and also to listen to the discussions about their
progress. Teachers of QHHS look forward to meeting with parents for an informative night.
Paul Sultana, Parent/Teacher Coordinator
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MATHEMATICS NEWS
Students will be receiving their results for the Term 1 Mathematics assessments in the following week. The Mathematics faculty was delighted to see the effort that students had placed
into their summary sheets leading to the exam. The summary sheet is a good study guide that
will assist students when preparing for future exams. Many students have colour coded important information such as definitions and formulas.
Monday 14 March is International Pi Day. Pi is the number 3.14…. which is the result of the
number of times the diameter encompasses the circumference of a circle. The Mathematics
faculty would like to wish everyone a Happy Pi Day.
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MACQUARIE ZONE SECONDARY SCHOOLS SPORTS
ASSOCIATION
GRADE SPORT POINT SCORE RESULT SHEET SEASON 1, 2016
FAX / ATTENTION: Vincent Capano
EMAIL: vincent.capano@det.nsw.edu.au
FROM: QUAKERS HILL HIGH –melhem.daghel@det.nsw.edu.au
brooke.portelli@det.nsw.edu.au
17/02/16
QH
GRADE SPORT ROUND
1
SPORT
VERSUS
2
3
GW1
4
KV
CR
5
6
WON BY
GW2
7
RH
8
9
RESULT
Your school’s result first
JUNIOR GRADE
Girls Touch Football A
Girls Touch Football B
Girls Soccer A
Girls Soccer B
Girls Basketball A
Girls Basketball B
CR
0
7
No Game
-
-
CR
0
1
No Game
-
-
CR
2
28
CR
2
24
CR
3
11
No Game
-
-
CR
2
5
CR
1
2
CR
10
40
CR
4
36
Girls Touch Football A
Girls Touch Football B
Girls Soccer A
Girls Soccer B
Girls Basketball A
Girls Basketball B
QH
12
4
QH
9
5
QH
4
1
Boys Touch Football A
Boys Touch Bootball B
Boys Soccer A
Boys Soccer B
Boys Basketball A
Boys Basketball B
Boys Touch Football A
Boys Touch Bootball B
Boys Soccer A
Boys Soccer B
Boys Basketball A
Boys Basketball B
SENIOR GRADE
CR
1
2
QH
12
8
QH
20
2
QH
10
5
QH
11
3
QH
5
0
QH
6
2
CR
17
27
CR
6
31
MACQUARIE ZONE SECONDARY SCHOOLS SPORTS
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DRAMA AND ENGLISH NEWS
In Drama this term, Year 9 have been learning about improvisation and playbuilding. They
have used the skills taught to them to devise their own theatrical performance of a variety
of picture books. Year 9 have also designed posters and costumes for their performances.
They are going to begin exploring the ideas of Epic Theatre and Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera.
The Year 10 Drama elective class have been exploring the theatrical conventions and
stock characters of commedia dell’arte and creating their own masks. They will perform
scenes they have devised themselves in Week 9 using the masks they have created while
performing. Year 10 will then move into the study of Stanislavski and acting for film.
Week 6 saw the inaugural Theatresports Cup being hosted by Quakers Hill High School.
This competition saw two teams from Wyndham College and two teams from Quakers Hill,
along with a teacher team, go head to head. The two Quakers Hill teams took out first and
second, after the teacher team was disqualified for being over age, with the winner going
to represent the school at the Theatresports Schools Challenge in May.
Year 7 English sees them learning about and experimenting with different styles of poetry
such as haikus and limericks. They are working towards creating their Poetry Anthologies
for their assessment task which is due in Week 10.
For Year 8 in English, they are studying the concept of Survival, looking at specific people
and situations to further understand the concept. They will be presenting their speech on
an inspirational person of their choice in Week 10 for their first assessment task this year.
In English, Year 9 have been studying The Human Footprint through a variety of texts. In
Week 7, the students submitted a proposal of an initiative discussing how to fix a problem
in an ecosystem they had been studying in their Science classes. The English and Science tasks were connected and students were asked to reflect on the connections made
and how their knowledge in one area was able to be utilised in the other.
Year 10 English has been looking at three poems written by Australian poet John
Foulcher, ‘Harry Wood’, ‘Kangaroos Near Hay’, and ‘Martin and the Hand Grenade’. The
classes are finishing off ‘Kangaroos Near Hay’ and moving into ‘Martin and the Hand Grenade’ in readiness for their in class essay assessment task in Week 10.
PRINCIPAL’S AWARDS
Congratulations to the following student on receiving their
Principal’s Gold Award:
Year 9—Tisaranee Dissanayake (3 gold awards)
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CAPA FACULTY NEWS
Creative Arts has continued supporting the creative development of students through a variety of
classroom activities and extracurricular programs. Visual Arts has been busy working though the
practical component of the course with each year group focusing on a different set of artistic
skills. Year 7 Art has thus far completed various tasks such as water colour painting involving the
elements of arts including line, shape, tone and texture. Year 8 Art students have started in class
to craft their own cultural mask designs using a variety of materials after successfully completing
their own tribal tattoo photograms in the previous month. Elective Art students have been producing collages based upon text in art and are beginning the planning of their major works.
The 100 hour Photography course have begun learning the processes of the darkroom through
the crafting of their own unique personal narrative photograms. Year 10 Elective Photography
200 hours have been hard at work taking and developing photos of the mundane and still life images that reflect their personal identity. Students are reminded that their Photography Essay assessment is due by the end of Week 8.
Music has begun the process of sorting out acts for this year’s showcase with many ideas being
considered. The QHHS Rock band program has continued this year and has grown in musical
range and popularity. A band of QHHS students will open this week’s Take A Stand Disco performing the rock classic “What I like About You” by the Romantics. The Junior Choir has begun
and is hard at work rehearsing during lunch. The wealth of musical talent at QHHS is showcased
each week during the assembly, which has featured new students displaying their musical talents to their collective peers in a range of styles.
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History Faculty News
COMPETITION NEWS
QHHS would like to offer all our amazing History students the opportunity to compete in the
Australian History Competition coming up on 25 May. There are prizes on offer to the winning students from each year group and students will be recognised for their achievements.
The cost to students is $6.00 and the cut-off date for payment to the office is 30 March.
NATIONAL HISTORY CHALLENGE 2016 - TRIUMPH OR TRAGEDY
The National History Challenge is a research-based competition for students. It gives students a chance to be an historian, researching world history, examining Australia’s past, investigating their community or exploring their own roots. It emphasises and rewards quality
research, the use of community resources and effective presentation. Please go to the following website for more details. www.historychallenge.org.au. Closing Date: 26 August 2016
HISTORY ASSESSMENT TASK DUE DATES – TERM 1
Year 8
Empathy Task
Week 10
Year 10 Elective
Presentation
Week 9
Quakers Hill High School History Faculty Website
Welcome to the QHHS History Podcast Website! Here you will find links to your assignment
sheets with Podcasts that you can download and listen to help you along your way. This site
is a work in progress, so keep checking back regularly for updates.
Good luck!!
www.tinyurl.com/zh3oe8p
HOMEWORK CLUB
Homework Club is now open. It will be held in the Library on Tuesday and Wednesday after
school. This is to provide assistance to students needing help with homework activities and
assessment tasks.
Students will need a new permission note for 2016. Notes can be obtained in the Library at
Recess or Lunch.
Times:
3:10pm - 4:10pm
Tuesday: Mr Krilic
Wednesday: Ms Fensom
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NAPLAN 2016
Included in this edition of Contact is information about the upcoming NAPLAN tests. It is important that if you do not want your child to participate that the school receives the signed notification that you are withdrawing them as their parent. As with all tests some children require
extra time or an additional break. We can only do this with the permission of the parents. Any
student who is entitled to an adjustment will be sent a letter with the appropriate documentation to allow us to cater for all students.
What can you do to assist your child?
There are many additional materials where students can practise for NAPLAN. The use of
these is up to you as a parent - this is not mandatory as NAPLAN helps us address areas of
strength and weakness and gives direction to our teaching.
NAPLAN is one test in many students will be doing. This is especially true for Year 7 where
they will be also sitting half yearly exams for the first time. You can help your child by helping
them manage their time and on occasion their stress levels - breaking down tasks makes the
unachievable achievable. If you say, ‘Study for your Maths test,’ students will try but will procrastinate, but if you say, ‘Find all the definitions in your maths book,’ they have an achievable
goal. This works for every subject. If you next say, ‘Find the key concepts in your workbook
and write them down on one page,’ they have the start of a summary. Small chunks work best.
Practical help for NAPLAN- Check they have their calculator the week before they do
NAPLAN. Check they have their calculator in their bag on the 12th May when they do the
Calculator section. Pencils are supplied with a small eraser on the end - ask your child to
bring their favourite eraser to get rid of any mistakes. They can bring water into the exam
room in a clear bottle and they must turn their phone off - when phones vibrate it can be heard
all through the Hall.
NAPLAN is not meant to be stressful - it is one set of exams over 3 days and does not fully
define a student or a school. It is a small part of a very big picture.
TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEY
Congratulations to the Year 7 students who have been completing the “Tell Them From Me
survey”. Your behaviour and cooperation has been outstanding.
Prosperitas - Wow – I have been overwhelmed with the expressions of interest in entering
Prosperitas this year. As of today we have 41 students in a variety of groupings completing 30
different and diverse tasks. I am very much looking forward to seeing projects as they progress throughout the year.
Mrs Karen Critchley - Head Teacher Teaching and Learning / History
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SCIENCE MATTERS
What would Easter be without eggs? It certainly would be something we would rather not
want to experience…image no chocolate
How about doing an egg-citing egg eggs-periments… sorry, I could not
help myself!
The Naked, Folded Egg Experiment
It’s easy to make a rubber egg if you understand the chemistry of removing the eggshell with vinegar. What you are left with is a totally embarrassed naked egg and a cool piece of science.
Warning: Patience is required!!!
Materials:





Raw egg
A pin/needle/ wooden skewer
straw
A tall glass
Vinegar
Patience
Method:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pierce the egg on both pointed ends, and blow the contents out with the straw.
Rinse the shell gently.
Place the egg in a tall glass and cover the egg with vinegar.
Look closely at the egg. Do you see any bubbles forming on the shell? Leave the egg in
the vinegar for a full 24 hours.
5. Change the vinegar on the second day. Carefully pour the old vinegar down the drain and
cover the egg with fresh vinegar. Place the glass with the vinegar and egg in a safe place for
a week – that’s right, 7 days! Don’t disturb the egg but pay close attention to the bubbles
forming on the surface of the shell (or what’s left of it).
6. One week later, pour off the vinegar and carefully rinse the egg with water. The egg looks
translucent because the outside shell is gone! The only thing that remains is the delicate
membrane of the egg. You’ve successfully made an egg without a shell. Okay, you didn’t really make the egg – the chicken made the egg – you just stripped away the chemical that
gives the egg its strength.
7. Rinse the membrane under water and carefully squeeze out all of the water from the egg
membrane.
8. Gently blow a little air into one end of the egg and the egg will puff up. Hey, it looks like a
real egg! Slowly squeeze the egg in your hand and it will look like you crushed the egg. Just
carefully toss and bounce the “folded egg” in your hand to allow the air to slowly work its way
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back into the egg. The egg magically restores its shape.
9. Dust the egg membrane with some baby powder (sometimes called Talcum powder). Try
to get some of the powder inside the egg as well. The powder will help keep the egg
membrane from drying out and cracking – and it makes the egg look even more real.
For a prize: Write an explanation to describe how the shell was removed leaving behind only
the membrane. Bring your answer to the Science staffroom on Thursday 24 th March. The first
correct student will receive a prize


Students are encouraged to participate in the upcoming Science competition such as Chemistry Quiz and Big Science. Payment is due on the 1st April. See Mrs Prasad for more information.
Students need to see Ms Earl in the English staffroom for information regarding the ICAS
tests.
Some interesting science facts:
* Fire is difficult to extinguish in space.
* The Lovejoy comet discovered in 2014 contains alcohol, sugar and other organic molecules.
* The highest peak on Pluto has been measured to 6000 km tall.
* The shape of the earth is an oblate spheroid.
SCHOOL OPAL CARD
This year, Transport for NSW have allowed eligible
school students to travel without a School Opal card for
the first 7 weeks of the school year, provided they are in
school uniform or can provide evidence they are attending school.
As most students have now settled into their new travel
patterns for the year and have received their School
Opal cards, the grace period will end on Monday 21
March.
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2016 Year 5 & 6 Information Evening
The 2016 Year 5 & 6 Information Evening was a busy and bustling event that was brimming with interested parents and Year 6 students. The event strove to provide prospective QHHS families with an opportunity to explore our facilities, interact with our staff, familiarise themselves with our procedures, school expectations,
ethos and curriculum. Our self-possessed and eloquent student leaders did an incredible job of guiding our
guests through our school and providing an insightful commentary about their own learning and engagement
with our formal and informal curriculum. Every faculty mounted interactive displays that engaged and captivated the attention of their audience and created anticipation about the learning opportunities available to our
students. Our talented Prosperitas students showcased their projects as ambassadors for our school’s GAT initiatives in the Library. Since the event, the parental emails praising our student leaders have been flowing in. So
to echo their sentiments, I would to thank the following “sweet, eager, proud and well informed” students for
supporting this school event and making it a huge success:
Camryn Batchelor
Lindsay Bath
Harleen Chauhan
Abbey Fraser
Maddison Latham
Rafal Noori
Renee Clarke
Vanessa Gowans
Rachel Lee
Iordan Peters
Holly Bramble
Adam Coleiro
Angie Groom
Hannah Branson
Rylea Conlon
Maddelyn Harris
Sarah Branson
Abey Couzins
Alanis Hawron
Seth Breese
Layla Darwiche
Iluka Jelley
Oliver Burke
Luke Dickson
Arashdeep Kaur
Dominique Burke
Shiann Downes
Sachnoor Kaur
Dylan Caple
Rovielyn Espiritu
Vipneet Kaur
Anindita Chand
Alister Tupper
Tamika Ezzy
Sidney Walde
Payal Khatri
Harvey Wiggins
Ethan Liu
Grace Luckman
Tom Luckman
Kopal Mathur
Benjamin McDonell
Matthew Mey
Zoe Morgan
Cameron Nolland
David Woodward
Sarah Vaughan
Tarah Porter-Sabogal
Harry Poulos
Krystal Rothery
Hayley Sacco
Zachary Shaw
Vanshna Singh
Karnvir Singh Bains
Muskan Soni
Kayla Wrigley
Natasha Deziel
READING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR LIBRARY
Will Grayson, Will Grayson – By John Green and David Levithan
Review by Rovelyn Espiritu (Year 10, 2016)
Will Grayson has two rules, which can be summarised in five laconic words: ‘shut up
and not care’. These five words are proven easier said than done, especially when in
close proximity to Tiny – who isn’t really tiny –Cooper, his fabulously gay best friend.
Will Grayson wants to end it all, or end all those around him. He keeps on falling, falling
and failing and everything pretty much sucks. Everything except Isaac, his online friend.
Then surreally, two Will Graysons cross-paths at an obscene shop in Chicago. Is it just a
coincidence or fate that brought these two together?
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a collaboration between the author of The Fault in Our Stars, John Green and the
author of Everyday, David Levithan. It is a book written from the dual perspectives of both Will Graysons. To
keep the evolving storyline crystal clear, the authors alternate the narrative perspectives based on even and
odd numbered chapters.
The book is filled with eye-opening and humorous colloquial one-liners that work to draw this book’s teenage
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audience right in. It unambiguously covers all aspects of teenage angst – love, lust, friendship, social ineptness, tryerror-try and much more.
One of the aspects that I paradoxically like and dislike about this book is how the evolution of the Will Grayson characters is so dependent upon Tiny Cooper’s very existence. The title of the novel, the alternating Will perspectives, all
these things initially lead you to be believe that they are the central protagonists of the story, but with so much
hinged upon what Tiny does or says, I wonder if Cooper is the dark horse and the true core of this narrative.
This young-adult novel has brought tears to my eyes – tears of laughter and empathy. It will make you feel a wide
range of emotions from joy at Tiny Cooper’s fabulous existence, to chagrin at Will Grayson’s pessimistic, selfdeprecating moments. It is a book that is certainly relatable, definitely entertaining and expertly stars a fantastic
ensemble of characters. This is a must read for teenagers.
RATING:
Hostage – By Karen Tayleur
Review by Zoe Morgan (Year 8, 2016)
Hostage – the gripping tale of a girl’s abduction. This intriguing tale is about a girl, Tully, who is
abducted by a boy from school in a chemist robbery gone wrong. Tully experiences flashbacks
from throughout her life as her captor takes her from place to place. This story has a surprising
twist which will leave readers on the edge of their seats.
‘Hostage’ is a moving journey about Tully, on a quest to find her long lost mother. The author
has written this story expertly, switching between first and third person perspectives and between Tully recalling the abduction and being interviewed at the Police Station. This compelling
tale encourages readers to continue reading by leaving them with cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter.
I recommend this book to teenage readers, as I think they will benefit most from this novel. They will be able to understand its complexities, enjoy the suspense and be able to empathise and connect to Tully, the central character.
RATING:
Siren – By Tricia Rayburn
Review by Kopal Mathur (Year 9, 2016)
Siren is the first book in the Siren series, written by Tricia Rayburn. It is a YA fantasy novel. The
book is about seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands, who is afraid of heights, the ocean, darkness…. pretty much everything. She is nothing like her fearless older sister, Justine, who tries
to get Vanessa to face every challenge head on. It was always like that for Vanessa. Justine
would always try to help her face her fears. But that was until Justine goes cliff diving and
washes up on shore the next day as a lifeless body.
When Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, where Justine died, she is seeking answers. She soon
discovers that her sister’s secret boyfriend, Caleb, has been missing for a while. Vanessa joins
Caleb’s brother, Simon, to find answers. As the plot unravels, we discover that there have been countless other
drownings, bodies washing up on shore, grinning from ear to ear. Together, Vanessa and Simon try to find the connection between Justine’s death and the new drownings. This leads Vanessa to uncover a secret that might change
her life forever.
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This book involves a lot of suspense, and a bit of romance. The storyline is very unpredictable, with a lot of cliff
hangers and plot twists. I’d recommend this book for anyone who enjoys stories full of suspense and drama. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
RATING:
NEW WORLDS OF DISCOVERY AWAIT YOU – ENTER THE PRC
COMPETITION AND WIN
The 2016 Premier’s Reading Challenge is in full swing and already some of our extraordinary readers have already devoured between 9 to 20 books, logged them on the PRC website and are prepped for their merit
awards, their letters of commendation and a scrumptious pizza lunch of celebration at the end of their journey.
So well done to the following driven and determined students for embarking on this worthy challenge and
pushing themselves academically to achieve their very best:
YEAR
NAME
BOOKS READ SO FAR
Year 8 Zoe
Morgan
20
Year 8 Harvey
Wiggins
15
Year 8 Grace
Luckman
9
Year 8 Aidan
Parton
9
Year 9 Kopal
Mathur
9
For those yet to enter, it is it no too late!
The competition is open to students in Years 7—9 and requires that they read 15 books from an extensive PRC
list and a further 5 books of their own choosing. (So that’s 20 in total!) You simply record the title of the book,
the author and the special PRC code on your reading log, which can be collected from the library. You then
have you parents, guardian or English teacher verify that they have seen you read that book, and they do this
by signing your Reading Log.
Each time you complete 5 books, Ms Lachevre will present you with a merit award and you will then go in the
running to receive a Hoyts movie card.
You have until the 19th of August to complete your 20 books. (That’s more than enough time.) Each student
that successfully completes the reading challenge and returns their log to Ms Lachevre (by the due date), will
be invited to attend a celebratory pizza lunch, receive a letter of commendation and a certificate of recognition.
Your participation in the event will also appear on your school report.
Pick up a reading log today and talk to Ms Lachevre about the PRC books we have in our library. Register your
participation on the student interest form found on the library front desk.
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EMAIL ADDRESS REQUEST
Greetings Parents and Carers
I am sure that you would agree that effective communication between the school and home is important. One
means of communication is the school newsletter ‘Contact’.
We have been concerned for some time that our Contact newsletter is not as effective in communicating as
we would wish. It often does not reach home, lost without trace at the bottom of a school bag and sometimes
our teenagers actively prevent the school communicating with you as parents and carers.
On top of this is the notion that a paper newsletter is expensive (over $5000 every year) and given the increasing number of parents who use email and actually prefer it, we really need to get with the times and
communicate with parents electronically. Of course, a paper version would still be available for those who
require it.
Be assured that we are not aiming to overflow your IN tray with school emails.
We would like to start sending out newsletters by email thus ensuring that they reach the desired destination
and saving money which would be better spent on resources for your children.
Please carefully and legibly complete the following and return it to school with your child.
Lauretta Claus
Principal
February 2016
--------------"--------------------"--------------------"--------------------"--------------------"--------------------"-------------QUAKERS HILL HIGH SCHOOL - EMAIL ADDRESS REQUEST
CHILD NAME: ___________________________________
YEAR: ______
PARENT’S EMAIL ADDRESS:
@
PARENT/CARER SIGNATURE: ________________________________
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QHHS Contact
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
STUDENTS LEAVING EARLY
If you need to pick up your child early from school:
1.
Write them out a note in the morning.
2.
Tell your child to take the note to the office before roll call.
3.
The office staff will issue your child with an Early Leavers Note which
allows them to leave class at the nominated time.
4.
Your child will be able to leave class at that time and will be sitting in
the foyer waiting for you when you arrive.
STUDENTS WHO ARE LATE TO SCHOOL
If your child is late to school and have missed roll call, they need to go
straight to the front office to be marked in late. If they are accompanied by a
parent or have a note covering their lateness, they will not receive a
lunchtime detention.
If your child is late to school and they do not have a note or a phone call explaining their lateness, they will be put on a lunchtime detention.
MEDICAL
Any students who is on an anaphylaxis or severe asthma plan will need to
send in an updated copy of their current Action Plan from their doctor.to the
office.
EVERY THURSDAY ALL STUDENTS FINISH EARLY AT 2.30pm
THE QHHS UNIFORM SHOP IS OPEN EVERY MONDAY MORNING
FROM 8.10—9.30AM
PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE REGULARLY
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QHHS Contact
QHHS Contact
CHANGE OF PERSONAL DETAILS FOR STUDENTS
(PLEASE PRINT)
NAME OF STUDENT:
YEAR:
________________________________
ADDRESS:
HOME PHONE:
WORK PHONE:
MOBILE NO:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
CARER 1 NAME: _____________________________________
PHONE/MOBILE:
CARER 2 NAME: __________________________________
PHONE/MOBILE:
EMERGENCY CONTACTS: ________________________________
_______________________________________________________
MEDICAL PROBLEMS (IF ANY) ____________________________
Signed:
Date:
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Quakers Hill High School
70 Lalor Road
Quakers Hill NSW 2763
Phone: (02) 9837 1533
Fax: (02) 9837 1747
email: quakershil-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.quakershil-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Principal: Mrs Lauretta Claus
KILDARE ROAD MEDICAL CENTRE
FEELING THE HEAT?
IT’S TIME FOR A SKIN CANCER CHECK!
Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can cause sunburn and skin cancer and contribute to
visible signs of ageing. There is a higher risk of skin damage, which can lead to skin cancer,
during the summer months and that is why it is important to have regular skin checks with an
accredited skin cancer doctor.
If necessary, KRMC®’s GPs will use mole-scanning technology to detect any suspect moles and
to build up an accurate picture of changes to the skin over time. Our GPs and Nurses are able to
perform excisions of moles that appear to be of concern and to send them for laboratory
analysis via our on-site Pathology department. If required, follow up treatment and referrals
are available.
For more information and to make an appointment at KRMC®’s Skin Cancer Clinic,
please call Reception on 8822 3000.
OPEN 7 DAYS 8:00AM TO 8:00PM
Kildare Road Medical Centre / 36 Kildare Road, Blacktown, NSW 2148 / kildaremedical.com.au
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